Nous E6 review Smart ZigBee LCD Temperature and Humidity Sensor
Cool little Zigbee temperature and humidity sensor with display, working on rechargeable 2xAAA batteries.
Pros:
- displays clock
- embedded magnet in top half of the back
- AAA batteries
- rechargeable NiMH work fine
Cons:
- missing reporting options (min/max interval)
- battery type is not detected, nor configurable, but assumed as alkaline
- skewed percentage report for rechargeable NiMH batteries
Precision
I did test accuracy only briefly. Together with other sensor on a shelf, multiple units of E6 were usually +/- of 0.2°C from average of all sensors tested together.
Nous E6 seems to be good on measuring the air temperature, and it doesn't cling too much towards the temperature of furniture/wall temperature it is placed on.
Notes:
- the accuracy of room temperature reading is much more affected by correct or incorrect placement within the room, than by inaccuracy of the sensor itself.
- some sensors with official +/- of 0.2°C precision on the paper were actually measuring much more the temperature of furniture instead of the air temperature:
- test - when window was opened when cold outside, some models of sensors went down immediately by 1°C and others just by 0.2°C.
Power
Device is powered by two AAA batteries.
Rechargeable 1.2V NiMH batteries work fine. I love this fact, because I am not producing waste by early replacement of batteries, when I want to be sure, that sensor used in automations won't go dead in a bad moment.
Unfortunately, device doesn't detect battery type is automatically - Alkaline vs NiMH. This results in skewed percentage report for rechargeable battiers - percentage calculation is using non-rechargeable battery discharge curve. This is also not configurable.
Battery life
Test runs:
- 41 days (over a month) on 550mAh eneloop lite AAA batteries from fully charged to 1%,
- 81 days (over 2 months) on 550mAh eneloop lite AAA batteries from fully charged to 1%.
More results to be added.
Package
Box front and back:
Box contents:
Alternative names and variants
This looks like an ODM product, and I've found similar products:
- GIRIER Tuya Smart ZigBee Temperature and Humidity:
- looks the same, even same batteries included, but without Nous logos,
- I didn't test them side by side (yet), whether temperature sensor is the same, neither I have disassembled them to compare internal
- Niceboy ION ORBIS Meteo+:
- product photos look same, but with different logo,
- I didn't purchase it, just noting down.
Price
Good to great (if discounted).
One local seller offers them at 15.99€ at sporadic deals. This is close to local prices of display-less button-battery-powered sensors.
The AliExpress one is much cheaper at non-discounted prices, though. But, with longer delivery time, and without benefits of local laws for strong customer protection.
Summary
So far, my the most favourite sensor for Zigbee and Z-Wave networks I've found and owned.
Disclaimer: This is a non-professional review based on end-user experience.